Part 4 – Sikhism Article by G B Reddy Sir

 

Part 4 – Sikhism

Sikhism is one of the fourth indigenous religions of our country besides Buddhism and Jainism - founded in 1499 AD. By comparison with other religions, it can be classified as a young religion.

Basically, Sikhism is the outcome of Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539 AD), a Kshatriya by caste, aversion to the practices of both Hinduism and Islam – socio-religious reform. In search of truth, he attempted to create a higher order religion, but in a spirit of cooperation with the other two religions. As per one school, it was the product of a purely Hindu renaissance in the wake of rapid intrusion of Islam since 780 AD. Nanak attempted to provide an egalitarian ideology based on monotheism to counter the Islamic onslaught. Also, he aimed to purge Hinduism of its obnoxious practices. Monotheism of Sikhism was designed to replace polytheism, idolatry and other external religious ceremonies of Hinduism. Sikhism started on the basic tenets of Nam, Dan, Isnam, Sevan and Simran in the closing stages of the 15th century.

The initial relationship with both Muslims and Hindus was harmonious and based on cooperative coexistence. Initially, Sikhism grew out of both Hindu and Muslim ranks. But, when the Muslim rulers abetted by the Mullahs contested, the Sikh-Muslim conflict broke out. Subsequently, Sikhism grew out of Hindu ranks only. As per Khushwant Singh, the custom of bringing up one son as a Sikh grew amongst many Hindu families, which was basically to confront the Muslims.

Let me outline some of its important events. Guru Nanak became a wandering Hindu ascetic at a young age. His period generally corresponds to the decline of the Lodi dynasty and the rise of the Mughals. Nanak too underwent dramatic spiritual experiences prior to becoming a wandering ascetic – No Hindu God, No Muslim God, but only one God. Mardana, a Muslim accompanied him in his preaching. In 1499 AD, Nanak met Kabir at Banaras. He was deeply influenced by Kabirs Bhakti cult or direct devotion to one God. Kabir, a Muslim weaver, as per some scholars, was in turn influenced by Swami Ramanand. Reinforced by Kabirs Bhakti cult, Nanak laid the foundation for Sikh ideology. Many of Nanak's hymns contain Kabirs hymns.

So, the classic Sikh doctrine conceived by Guru Nanak was simple. First, the unity of oneness of God, was its prime essence – omnipresence, Omni Service, formlessness, timelessness and the power to destroy evil. Nanak’s philosophy remained Hindu – God as both the creator and the sustainer and the divine symbol represented by ‘OM’. The Hindu theory of Karma and life thereafter also formed part of his theory. Guru Nanak replaced priesthood by ‘Guru’ – a simple teacher who is neither an Apostle nor representative or mediator or mediator of God, to guide people on the path of truth. Furthermore, Guru Nanak rejected the caste system and proclaimed equality and humility as one of the main ethics of Sikhism. To achieve it, he established Sangat and Pangat.

Guru Nanak was followed by nine other Gurus – Angad (original name Lehna-Kshatriya), Amar Das, Ram Das, (Original name Jetha), Arjun, Hargobind, Har Rai, Har Krishan, Tegh Bahadur and Gobind Singh. So, they all had Hindu lineage. The second Guru, Angad, is credited to have collected Nanak’s hymns, added his own contribution of hymns and created the Gurumukhi script. The third Guru, Amar Das, introduced the concept of ‘Guru Ka Langar’ to promote the concept of unity and equality of mankind. He also initiated the tradition of mass congregation of Sikhs during the Hindu festivals of Baisakhi and Diwali. He divided his whole spiritual dominion into 22 Manjis. He forbade both ‘Suttee’ and ‘Purdah’. He also gave a distinct Sikh marriage service and permitted widow remarriage. The fourth Guru, Ram Das, is remembered as the founder of the city of Amritsar. Emperor Akbar gifted the land on which developed the Guru’s village – Guru Ka Chak, which became Ramdaspur and later as Amritsar.

Guru Arjun's reign is yet another significant landmark. Harmandir, whose foundation stone was laid by the Sufi Mian Mir, was constructed, the Adi Granth was compiled, the Jat influx into the Panth was encouraged, and the other three towns of Tarn Taran, Kartarpur and Shri Hargobindpur were developed. On the execution of Guru Arjun by Jehangir in 1606, the peaceful Sikh religious movement turned into a militant one  - the idea of ‘piri’ and ‘miri’ (the two sword theory of Sikhism or the dual concept of spiritual authority and temporal power). The Harmandir represents spiritual authority (piri) and the Akal Takhat represents temporal power (miri). The statement ‘Saintliness is within, sovereignty is external’ is attributed to him. He also provided a pennant for his troops which became the flag of Sikhism as the “Nishan Sahib '' and instituted the Kettledrum in each Gurudwaras. From this period onwards, there was open hostility between the Sikhs and the Mughals. Thereafter, it was the ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur (brave sword – original name Tyag Mal) who lived through the most challenging times of Aurangzeb’s reign and in the end chose martyrdom to become a Muslim.

Ipso facto, it was the tenth Guru Gobind Singh (born in Patna) who contributed most to the consolidation of Sikhism as a politico-religious ideology. The “Granth Sahib” (the Holy Scripture) was proclaimed by him as the Guru of Sikhs. He too added a number of hymns and prescribed procedures for the conduct of Khalsa ceremonies. As per scholars, the invocation of Adi Granth in 1708 AD, as the Guru, revived Hindu form of worship and rituals and diluted the original ideology of Guru Nanak. “Raj Karega Khalsa'' was coined by him. Guru Gobind Singh formed Sikhs into a nation and gave Sikhs a truly martial status. Under the increasing tyranny of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Singh produced the myth of Khalsa (pure ones) and the name of Singh (Lion) which forms the basis of martial invincibility. He also admitted women to the Khalsa (Kaurs-princess) and sanctified the casteless nature of Sikhism by constituting ‘panj pyares’. Even the concept of five ks - kes, kangha, kachha, kara and kripan was introduced by him to provide a visible identity. He emphasized the Rahit – Khalsa way of life. He prescribed comprehensive sanctions which are to be invoked in the case of offences against the Rahit – Tanakhahia and Tanakhah (penance on offender). Furthermore, liquor, cigarettes and meat slaughtered in Muslim ways were banned. Such were the means devised by him to create a distinct identity to combat extreme injustice, but also to spread Sikhism. By such ideals, he overcame the first Sikh identity crisis under the Mughal rule and further consolidated the growth of Sikh ideology.

In retrospect, the Sikhs suffered from cumulative hatred against the Muslims. Guru Arjun’s temptation to play power politics by participation in the Mughal succession issue, rapidity of Sikhism’s growth and its attempts to seek a secure geographical area to practise religion resulted in a life and death confrontation between the Sikhs and the Muslims. The death of Guru Arjun while in the captivity of Jahangir, the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the killing of two sons of Guru Gobind Singh and the depredations of Nadir Shah and Abadali’s rampaging hordes, including the destruction of the Golden Temple during the sixth invasion between 1747-1769, left a deep scar on the Sikh psyche, which promoted an aggregated hatred for the Muslims. Post-partition massacres further accentuated their hatred.

Ranjit Singh’s period is the high watermark of the Sikhs, which was based on secular Sikh-Muslim-Hindu unity. The Sikh armies captured Lahore, Srinagar and Kabul led by Sikh, Dogra and Muslim leaders. The Sikh Pant proclaimed the Sikh kingdom and conferred the title of Maharaja. The Sikh empire covered Tibet in the North, extended beyond the Sutlej in the South-east and across the Himalayas to Afghanistan. But, the succession drama by his seven sons by different mothers, which followed his death, led to its disintegration and degeneration. Ranjit Singh represented India’s last coordinated effort to arrest the expansion and consolidation of British colonialism.

However, it was the Sikh, Dogra and Punjabi Muslim soldiers who saved the British Raj during the Mutiny of 1857. In turn, the British gave the Sikhs the most exalted status and adopted an appeasement policy towards them. The Sikhs were given the best share of loot of Delhi, canals and vast farms, besides a phenomenal 20 per cent share of enrolment in the British Imperial Army. Such favorable conditions led to the prosperity of Sikhs and dilution in their belief of faith. Nonetheless major irritants remained; Gwadar rebellion against the Colonization Bill which levied higher land revenues, the Jallianwala Bagh massacres in April 1919, the Guradwara’s movement in the 1920s and the demand for a separate homeland to Cripps Mission in 1946.

The growth of Sikh reactionary movements appropriately classified as the Sikh renaissance by some scholars is interesting. Guru Singh Sabha was formed at Amritsar in 1873 and later in 1879 at Lahore to oppose the increasing threats to its survival. Initially their unification attempts failed since Lahore stood for radicalism and Amritsar represented conservatism. In 1892, when confronted by the rise of Arya Samaj, they united to establish the Khalsa College at Amritsar.

Yet another issue excited the Sikhs, that is, the stranglehold enjoyed by the corrupt and pliable Mahants over the Gurdwaras. All Sikh institutions were largely organised before and during the First Gurdwara Reform Movement (1920-1925) launched to unseat the corrupt and pliable Mahants. In 1902, the Chief Khalsa Diwan was formed as a political organization.  After World War1, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak committee (SGPC) was formed. By Dec 1920, the Akali Dal (army of immortals) was organized – Nihangs, men dressed in uniform and heavily armed, constituted its militant frontal organization. The objective of the Akali Dal was based on protection of Sikhism from all other faiths. In 1925, the Akali Dal was declared illegal when Nihangs clashed with troops. But, the Sikh claims got ratified by the Sikh Gurdwaras Act. The Guradwaras were placed under the custody of SGPC and the locally elected committees. Their success served to reinforce their deep commitment that it is not possible to consolidate Sikhism without controlling political power. In their quest for political power during the pre-independence period as per Amarjit Kaur (an ex Member of Parliament), “the younger elements in the Akali Dal who were for a separate state might have been defeated at the point of History; but they were not deterred from working for this goal.”

 

Ipso facto, Akali Dal was basically organised to ensure protection of political rights on the basis of defending Sikh faith. Hence, its very political survival is dependent on either total domination or confrontation. The Akali Dal’s constitution rests on the principle of the two-sword principle: ‘Miri’ and ‘Piri’ implying that the temporal and spiritual powers flow from religion. Thus, religion and politics are inseparable; and religion must guide politics.

In sum, Sikhism was founded as a real higher order ideology - unique indigenous politico-religious philosophy whose potential for survival is dependent on non-deviant behavior from its followers. Admittedly, the collective wisdom and sagacity of the ten Gurus, accumulated from 1499 to 1699, laid the foundation of the Sikh ideology and tradition. It was an indigenous attempt to integrate the strife-torn and caste-ridden society on the basis of harmony, love and respect to promote a unique brotherhood. Its initial growth was slow, albeit its initial relationships with both the Muslims and the Hindus were harmonious and based on cooperative coexistence. It certainly stemmed the Islamic onslaught and consolidated its influence over vast sections of the Hindu society in the region, particularly the Jat peasantry. Prior to independence, Muslim threat and hatred ensured Sikh-Hindu brotherhood. Now, Sikhism perceives threat from the awesome Hindu reabsorption and reassimilation potential.

 

Sikhism is the fifth-largest amongst the world religions, and one of the youngest. Worldwide, there are 30 million Sikhs, which makes up 0.4% of the world's population. Approximately 75% of Sikhs live in Punjab, where they constitute 57.7% of the state's population. Large communities of Sikhs migrated to the neighboring states such as Indian State of Haryana which is home to the second largest Sikh population in India with 1.1 million Sikhs as per 2001 census, and large immigrant communities of Sikhs can be found across India - Chandigarh (13.11%), Haryana (4.91%), Delhi (3.40%), Uttarakhand (2.34%) and Jammu & Kashmir (1.87%) are other important states/UTs having Sikh populations. However, Sikhs only comprise about 1.7% of the Indian population. The growth and composition of Sikh population includes: 1881 - 1,853,426 with growth of +146.4%; 1901 - 2,195,339 with growth of +15.1%; 1941 - 5,691,447 with growth of +32.2%; 1951 - 6,862,283 with growth of +20.6%; 1981 - 13,119,919 with growth of +26.6%; 2011 – 2011 – 20,833,116 with the growth rate of +8.3%. By 2050, according to Pew research center based on the growth rate of the current Sikh population, India will have 30,012,386 Sikhs by half-century which will be more than that of any country including the west. Although Punjabi Sikhs form the majority, the Sikh community includes people: speak the Pashto, Brahui, Telugu, Marathi, Assamese, Hindi, Sindhi, Bengali and many more other languages.

Most Sikhs outside India live in the core Anglosphere, with 771,790 in Canada (2.1% Sikh), 524,140 in the United Kingdom (0.9% Sikh), 269,986 in the United States (0.1% Sikh), 210,397 in Australia (0.8% Sikh), and 40,908 in New Zealand (0.9% Sikh). While these communities are over 125 years old, most Sikhs in the West are first, second, or third-generation immigrants. As of the 2021 Canadian Census, more than half of Canada's Sikhs can be found in one of four cities: Brampton (163,260), Surrey (154,415), Calgary (49,465), and Abbotsford (38,395). Brampton, Surrey, and Abbotsford are 25.1% Sikh, 27.4% Sikh, and 25.5% Sikh, respectively. Gurdwaras, newspapers, radio stations, and markets cater to these large, multi-generational Sikh Canadian groups. Sikh festivals such as Vaisakhi and Bandi Chhor are celebrated in those Canadian cities by the largest groups of followers in the world outside the Punjab.

Most importantly, caste system continues even in Sikhism to include: Brahmins (Priestly class), Rajputs (kshatriyas), Sainis (agrarian), Rai Sikh (rural caste), Labanas (merchants), Ahluwalias (brewers), Kambojs or Kambos (rural caste), Ramgarhias (artisans), Kumhars, Mazhabi and the Ramdasia/Ravidasias(Chamar). More than 60 percent of Sikhs belong to the Jat caste, which is a rural caste. The Khatri and Arora castes, both mercantile castes, form a very small minority. Sikhs are normally expected to marry within their caste: Jat marries Jat, Khatri marries Khatri, and Dalit marries Dalit. In addition, Sikhs of some castes tend to establish Gurudwaras intended for their caste only. Four castes – Mazhabis, Ramdasias, Kabir Panthis (Julahas) and Sikligars - are included in the Scheduled Castes list for reservation

Next, the Khalistan  (Land of the Khalsa),  a separatist movement that follows principles of fundamentalism and sectarianism, seeks to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno‐religious sovereign state. The proposed state is to consist of land that currently forms the Punjab region in India and Pakistan. Jagjit Singh Chohan (1929 – 4 April 2007) was a major Sikh leader of the Khalistan movement. Chohan established the Council of Khalistan at Anandpur Sahib on 12 April 1980 and became its first self‐styled president.

The Sikh population’s lack of numerical strength in relation to other residents of the Punjab made this an unviable proposition, but it has resurfaced in various forms since. The Anandpur Sahib Resolution was passed in August 1973, which postulated the theory of Sikh homeland and the pre-eminence of the Khalsa. It was drafted by a group of eminent Sikh intellectuals. Its fallout was simple. Whenever the Akali Dal could not form a government, it extrapolated the Sikh homeland issue and invoked the Hindu Bogey. Basically, there are two religious demands, that is, legislation of All India Gurdwaras Act and free access to all Sikh shrines including Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. The political issues are restructuring of the Constitution on real federal principles and restoration of Panjabi-speaking areas to Punjab. Predictably, the Sikh recruitment and arms issues were also raised.

 It received support from the All India Sikh Students’ Federation and was led most effectively by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Zail Singh of the Congress Party, who later became the president of India, asked Bhindranwale to align with them in their effort to break the hold of the SAD on the Sikhs. In July 1982 he moved to the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar with his followers and stockpiled weapons. In early June 1984 Indira Gandhi ordered Indian troops to attack the complex, and, in the fighting, several of its buildings were heavily damaged. According to the government authorities, hundreds of people (as many possibly as 3000) were killed including Bhindranwale.

Yet another significant current development of Sikh religion is the migration of Punjabi youth from India to foreign countries. During British colonial rule, Punjabi Sikh labor migrated to Canada who were employed to lay the Trans-Canadian Railway Line during the late 1890s. Also, a significant number of Punjabis, who served in the British army, particularly during World War II, also migrated to the United Kingdom to work in industries such as mining and steel furnaces. Of late significant numbers are migrating to Australia and the United States. Over time, the culture of migration became ingrained in Punjab, with a focus on seeking better opportunities abroad. In sum, the history of migration, the culture of seeking opportunities abroad, and the perception of limited opportunities in Punjab all contribute to this phenomenon.  Also, the attraction to succeed financially and achieve a higher standard of living abroad leads many Punjabi youth to pursue jobs and careers outside their homeland. 4.78 lakh people from Punjab left the country for employment from January 2016 till 2021 and 2.62 lakh students for studies during this period.

Yet another critical challenge faced by Sikhism is the addiction of its youth to "Drugs, liquor and copying in exams”. Sikhs have always been a community associated with hard work, progress and development, but unfortunately these evils have taken hold of our youth.

The most recent challenge is from the “Farmers Demand” and their  violent agitation aided and abetted by the SFJ (Sikh Forum of Justice) operating in alien lands.

In the ultimate analysis, the main cause for the Punjab internal crisis is primarily psychological. Major factors, which have been used to abet internal strife include: Sikh identity crisis due to the ongoing modernization process; Self-centric politico-religious leadership; Volatile politico-religious interface; Population migrations upsetting politico-socio-economic structural balances and equilibrium; Contrived injustices, such as, demand for job reservations; Lack of political will and national consensus; Pakistani factor; and the bogey of Hindu revivalism, assimilation and absorption; and the recent “Farmers agitation”. The Sikh identity crisis has been exploited by disgruntled leadership to create anarchy. National, regional and religious interests have been relegated to secondary status.